Saturday, May 26, 2012

What Went Wrong: I'm just winging this tonight. There was no TV coverage here in Illinois. There's no chance in hell I'm going to go back and watch it later. And I'd be lying if I said I didn't turn off the audio after the 7th to focus on the 76ers-Celtics game.

Turning Point: The Rockies scored one run on four hits in the 1st. Definitely could have and should have been more.

One batter into the Reds half, their lead was already in jeopardy after Zack Cozart grounded to Jordan Pacheco at third. Pacheco's throw sailed past Helton, and the Reds instantly had a man in scoring position. Jeremy Guthrie did retire Drew Stubbs and Joey Votto without any advancement. But as we so often see with these Rockies, he couldn't finish the inning off.

The four runs were unearned by rule only. Guthrie absolutely deserves to be credited with all four of them because he all needed to do was make one more quality pitch to pick up his teammate and escape the inning. Couldn't do it. Instead, he let the inning (and ultimately the baseball game) get away with the double, walk and home run. Those were all on him.What's Next: Sunday morning baseball in Cincinnati with Jamie Moyer (2-4, 4.99) taking on Mat Latos (3-2, 4.35) at 11:10 MT. Can I sleep in?

Final Thoughts: It's funny to read the current disdain for Jeremy Guthrie and the retroactive appreciation for Jason Hammel.

I always wished people had appreciated Hammel more while he was with Colorado. Was he an all-star? No, of course not. But he almost always held his own and filled his assigned role competently. What more can you really ask?

But with that said, I supported the trade when it happened, and I'm not going to look back now and tear it apart. Despite the evidence suggesting Guthrie would be a poor fit in Coors, I figured it was a gamble worth taking. I think still it was. Guthrie had always managed to survive just fine in the AL East, and the Rockies needed a battle tested anchor in their rotation.

It just hasn't worked. And the fact that Hammel has elevated his game has turned this 180 degrees. It went from a trade I thought had little downside for the Rockies, and limited upside for Baltimore, to something completely different.

O'Dowd's thinking was logical. The results have been terrible.

Now O'Dowd has to find a way to trade Guthrie before the results get uglier.